Stained Souls
by Rissa Havoc
Summary: When Naruto returns from his training with Jiriaya, so does Itachi and Kisame. Two that had been following him for some time. Sasuke never left with Orochimaru, but still has the same desire to kill his brother. Lots of pairings and angst. R&R plz
1. One Stain for Another

_**Stained Soul**_

Two young brothers,

one with a hatred

that has burned

for so many years.

Caused by what

the older one

had done.

The younger one

had to stand and

watch as each of

his family dropped

one by one

at his feet.

Helpless and weak.

The two things,

that the older saw

that he was.

The older stood

and smiled at

the pool of blood

at his feet.

Proud of what

he had done.

They are two

all the same.

both Stained Souls.

Both weak all the same

One who killed everyone

for a weak desire

such as power,

in turn created

another, who will

always think

"I'm not good enough."

* * *

The young boy ran through the streets, in horror of what he had just witnessed. In horror of what his older brother's reasoning was for this horrible event. _Why brother, why, _even though he already knew he couldn't help to ask those questions in his mind, his fear of death was too much. He wasn't paying any attention to where he was going, until he felt himself knock into another soft body, lifting his head up he saw the older one staring down at him.

Fear in his young eyes, he slowly backed away from the older, "please brother don't, I don't want to die." On the verge of crying his eyes out, he couldn't help it.

"Hn...you aren't even worth killing," the older said in his always stoic tone, that he had, with that he was gone.

With a loud gasp, he woke up. Sweat dripping down the side of his face, and he looked around the small room that he had called a home. For the longest time, those dreams had haunted him, but never would Sasuke say a thing about them. To think that those dreams, that would wake him so suddenly, is what always fueled him to become the best of the best in Konoha. He looked over to the side and saw the picture of him and his squad, his eyes falling on the one member that was in his mind the strongest and the best. _Naruto, _he thought somberly in his mind, _you are what kept me here, and I won't let you down because of that._

A loud knock at his door is what pushed him out of his deep thought, and he blinked before he got up and answered for the intruder. Quickly he answered and was met by a faceful of pink hair falling his way, and he quickly went to keep he from falling head first on the floor. Realizing what he had done he quickly pushed Sakura into a standing position and turned from her coldly. "What is it that you want Sakura, don't you know I have more important things to tend to, other than you."

"Yes, I am aware of that Uchiha-san, but I thought I should tell you this before he bursted through your door so rudly," Sakura said in return, his coldness no longer had any affect on her, for she was long over her little crush on him.

_Uchiha-san_, he questioned in his mind, he had been doing that for the longest time since she started using that term. She had started that just after Naruto had left for training with Master Jiriaya, he turned around and looked into her green eyes. "Tell me what, before who busted through my door."

A big smile formed on Sakura's lips and she spun around once quickly, "NARUTO!! HE'S BACK UCHIHA-SAN!"

He watched his pinked hair teammate spin around so quickly, and he felt something in his heart, and it hurt deeply. "Hn," was all that he could say, because all that meant to him was that his biggest rival and best friend had returned even stronger than when he had left. Unfortunatly for him, Sasuke was still the same, the boy that had watched the blonde go up against Garra and win and the one the blonde had to watch be defeated by his own brother.

* * *

Itachi sat on a tall tree with his Akatsuki partner, watching carefully as Naruto and Jiriaya made their arrival back to Konoha. Under his cloak, he couldn't help but smile a bit as Naruto return to his village meant that he could have yet another amusing go around with his younger brother. _Well, well this should be fun, _he thought in the back of his mind as he leapt to another tree, gaining closure on the village that he had turned his back on with the death of his clan.

"Itachi," Kisame said quickly at the younger man, leaping. "We are only back here for the Kyuubi, not some sibling rivalry."

"I am aware of that, but Sasuke isn't," Itachi said in response to Kisame, as he continued to gain closure on Konoha, and the Kyuubi.


	2. So Long

_**So Long**_

_For so long,_

_I have waited,_

_here so patiently._

_Waiting for that day,_

_that day that_

_you would, _

_come back_

_to that home_

_that you once had_

_and meet me_

_once more_

_In the heat of_

_a battle._

_A battle that _

_test and burised us_

_so harshly._

* * *

Ever since Sakura had left so gleefully, he hadn't moved or said a word. The shock of the news that was delivered to him was a bit much. He looked down at his hands, and with those hands he brought one of them to the base of his neck, merely touching that curse mark that Orochimaru had left on him. He winced at the memory, that last memory that he had with Naruto, a fight that could end all fights, although he wound up being the victor in that, the temptation that burned inside of him made it unsatifying. He had wanted to go to Orochimaru, because he felt that the boy before him was weak and his defeating him alone was meaningless.

He remembered how he walked through the streets of the village, in search of the man that he was going to join, but he met with someone else, Sakura. _Sakura,_ he thought back to how that was last time she would even call him Sasuke-kun and started to call him Uchiha-san, maybe it was because he used his Sharigan to make her sleep and make her believe that he was long gone.

* * *

**2 years before**

He stood in the middle of what was Naruto's one room apartment, staring down at the picture of Kakashi's Squad 7. "Where is he," he asked under his breath, the raven haired boy wanted the blonde to know that he was staying and not going anywhere. He didn't know why it matter for Naruto to know that very minute, he was bound to find out when they saw each other for their next training session. He hadn't even noticed that the time had passed by so quickly, as the night sky started to form in a whirl of pink, orange and blue.

Shaking his head, as he left his teammates apartment, in a shock that he wouldn't have been there all day long. Not paying any mind to where he was going he knocked right into a green vest, looking up he was met by Kakashi. To him it seemed like he was smiling down on him, and he shook his head slightly, "Sensei, you wouldn't happen to know where Naruto is?"

"Naruto," Kakashi asked back to make sure Sasuke was really asking about his own teammate, he looked down at the young man and watched as he nodded up and down quickly. "Oh he has gone off with Jiriaya to train with him," Kakashi said in a cool voice, in an attempt to hide the emotion that was really in it.

Sasuke blinked as he walked past the jounin, was he in shock of the news delivered to him so coolly. _He's gone, _he questioned bitterly in the back of his mind, as he clutched his fist slightly, he thought of Naruto as the only reason he was even able to get stronger as a ninja. _If I am his eternal rival, why the hell did he leave, _he asked himself as he bit his lips slightly, then he nodded. His answer came as he thought back to the night before, "to get stronger, not for me but for himself."

He let a small smile cross his lips as he turned around to see Kakashi was only a few steps away from him, "Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi turned around to face Sasuke one last time, and blinked at the smile that crossed the young Uchiha's face, "yes, Sasuke."

"You wouldn't mind training with me tommorrow, I mean...you know since Naruto is gone, you can focus all that time you wanted to..on me," Sasuke asked the jounin expectantly.

Kakashi nodded and waved his hand in the air, "of course I would do that, just meet me at the field at 9 am, not a minute later."

Sasuke nodded and bit back a laugh, knowing full well that he was going to show up at 9, but the jounin as always would be fashionably late.

* * *

**Present**

Itachi watched carefully as Naruto walked through the street of Konoha, but not as Naruto weaved a path to his apartment, but to the of Sasuke's. He squinted his eyes, as he followed after the kyuubi container so sliently and utterly undectable. He thought everything was going to be quiet and normal, but in the distance her heard that squeal of a young girl and watched a blur of pink ran straight to Naruto and hugged him tightly.

"Naruto," the pink haired girl said so sweetly to the Kyuubi container, wrapping her arm around the blond's neck so tightly. Such an action that made Itachi smirk a bit, as he found it as a good opprotunity to discover one of Naruto's weaknesses. "I just heard that you were returning today," the girl said with a small giggle, and then continued, "I couldn't contain it too much, and I told just about everyone, including Sasuke."

Naruto blinked a bit, along with Itachi as he heard Naruto speak what his thoughts were exactly, "he didn't leave with Orochimaru, Sakura?"

_Sakura, so that is her name,I think that I will remember that,_ he assesses quietly in the confines of his mind as he continued to listen in on the conversation between Naruto and Sakura. "Nope, but I am not here to talk about Sasuke," Sakura said quickly in return.

"Really, well that is new, because when I left, the world according to you revovled around the Uchiha," Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his head quickly. "So I am guessing that if I went to go see him, the surprise would be ruined because of you?"

Sakura nodded quickly in response and then asked, "so what did you learn out there, with Jiriaya?"

"Why do you want to know, so you can ruin the surprise for Sasuke when I meet him in battle again," he asked as he walked, no ran past Sakura to go straight to the apartment he was intent on finding.

* * *

He ran through the streets of Konoha intent on finding his best friend and rival, just to see if what Sakura had said was true. Bursting through the the doors of the apartment complex that Sasuke had called home he sprinted up the steps, running straight for the door he remembered as Sasuke and knocked loudly. He smiled wide as he heard the locks turn and unbolt from its snug confines. As the door opened he bobbed on his heels waiting to see the image of the Uchiha. As the door was completely open there he stood face to face with his rival and friend, and then punched his squarly in the face. He watched as Saskue flew the wall on the other side of the apartment.

He stood in the doorway, he stood proudly as he heard Sasuke's rushing footstep toward him and then ducked as the Uchiha went to go punch back, causing the dark haired teen to punch a hole through the wall behind him. "Good to see you again, too."

Naruto took in mind the slight growl that came from Sasuke, "idiot. I guess, we are going to pick up from where we left off last time, huh?"


	3. Fear and Anticipation

_**Fear and Anticipation**_

_Right now,_

_I look foward _

_to so much._

_Here you are _

_back in my life, _

_wanting to go back._

_Back to where,_

_it ended _

_for a moment._

_Although from that moment_

_You brought more with you._

_Elements that were _

_all but expected. _

_Don't make me _

_regret what I feel_

_all for you._

* * *

Even though his and Kisame's objective was the blond that the young girl talked with only moments ago, they continued to follow the girl. Kisame had the sense not to ask imediately why they were following the girl named Sakura, but it was something that ate at him from time to time, what made the girl so special that they follow her. Lost in the thoughts that were in his head he stopped his following of Itachi and sat on a tree branch and watched as Itachi continued his trek for a while and then stopped and looked back at

him.

"Kisame," Itachi asked in a coldness that seemed to be possessed by all of the men of the Uchiha clan. "Let's go, you know we can't stay here for too long and we need to have Kyuubi in our clutches when we leave," he continued slightly glaring at the shark like nin.

"I am aware of that," Kisame said with a slight growl that he always seemed to possess in his voice, even in the mist of questioning the great Sharigan user. "I am just wondering why are we in the pursuit of some Kunoichi," he asked with a sterness in his voice. This wasn't the first time he questioned his appointed partner and certainly wouldn't be the last time, he watched as Itachi's features scrunched up a bit and as the dark haired man shook his head.

"I just want to see how useful she will be in our capturing the Kyuubi," Itachi said in response, attempting to hide the fact that if the girl was closed to Naruto, she had to be close to Sasuke also. For the past two years, it had been a secret desire for him to face his younger brother again, to test Sasuke's strength and possibly embarass him once more. He was on a mission to find weaknesses of his brother, and when both Naruto and Sakura mentioned Sasuke on numerous occasions in their little talk, he took to mind that the girl had to mean something to his younger brother.

Kisame simply nodded and then jumped a few more branches so he could keep a good pace with the smaller and far more agile man before him. Even though he accepted the reasoning given to him, he couldn't help but doubt Itachi just a bit in the back of his mind. "Remember Itachi, we are here for Kyuubi, not so your very much alive younger brother to live out his little vendetta against you," he said to attempt to remind Itachi of the mission, the second time that day.

* * *

As she walked through Konoha, she couldn't help to read strange chakra behind her almost following her. She bit her lip and looked at her surroundings for a moment and then shook her head, now would not be a good time to strike anything behind her. There were two reasons for that she would most definatly embarass herself and also if Tsunade got word of her actions, she wasn't ready to get bitched out by a drunken Hokage, student or not. She picked up her pace to a full run away from the strange chakra as it stopped for a moment, thinking that that was a good sign.

She took to mind that this had begun only moments after she stopped and talked to Naruto, which only meant that this was something after her good friend. _Idiot, now they know you have a weakness, _screamed her inner self as she ran even faster as the following chakra began to move behind her once more.

_What if he really wasn't aware of the fact that someone was in pursuit of him, he had been training with Jiriaya all this time, _she answered herself in a matter-of-factly way, taking this as the only reason why Naruto talked with her with no worry at all. That was the only answer that made sense to her at the moment, as she continued to run not paying attention that the businesses began to dissappear and turn into the forest and the training ground. The only time that she was aware of where she was, was when she ran straight into a strong standing tree.

The impact of the tree hurt to say the least, as she let out a yelp and fell backwards to the ground. Pain rang through her but also she heard that ever appearent voice of her innerself, _nice way to be watching where you are going, cha!!_ She grimaced a bit at that comment and pushed herself up rubbing her forehead slightly. Suddenly a rustle came from behind her and she jumped to see a vision of a young man standing behind her with long dark hair tied back into a pony tail, and onyx eyes that could only compete with those of Sasuke-san.

She jumped up at the sight of the man, dispite, that to her, he physically looked good he was a stranger that mysteriously appeared from behind her after she ran into a tree and there had been some new chakra that was following her for quite some time. Pulling out a kunai bracing it so she could attack the man at a moments notice, and stepped back to the tree.

"hn, and here I was going to ask if you were alright," Itachi said coldly at the sight of all of Sakura's actions. He watched as she tilted her head to the side slightly and he sighed a bit, "I just saw that you ran into a tree, I am sorry for showing any concern at all."

"Who the hell are you and why were you following me," Sakura replied back ignoring everthing that Itachi had spoken to her, tightening her grip on the Kunai. She still sensed the other chakra in the distance, so if she attacked the man before her she somehow knew it wouldn't be the best idea.

Itachi shook his head and then sighed at the question, "If I answered that question, you wouldn't like the answer."

* * *

"Only if you want to," Naruto replied back proudly standing in front of Sasuke, and then moved into the apartment and then took a seat at the couch in the room. "Although I just felt that was the only way to greet my greatest rival," he said with a chuckle, and continue, "besides Sakura had already ruined the surprise that I would have when I saw you walking through the streets, and the same for you."

Sasuke looked over at Naruto with a glare in his eyes and then shook his head as he went back into his apartment shutting the door behind him. "Hmm, yea she did tell me that you were due to return today, or possibly tommorrow," he said back and then shook his head. "I'm guess that you expected me to go off with Orochimaru, that was probably the surprise you got from Sakura."

"Well considering that I heard Sakura was training with Tsunade and I was with Jiriaya, what was to say that all of team 7 went off with a Legendary Sannin," he reasoned in both his mind and out loud, it was one thing that he did during his time with Jiriaya. It also had been a thought that plagued him during the two and a half years, but with Sasuke sitting there in front of him why should it plague him any longer. "So I guess that you have been training with Kakashi all this time?"

Sasuke shook his head at the thought that Naruto had presented to him and then nodded at his question about training with Kakashi. "I feel that I have gotten much stronger from the intense training that I have been getting from Kakashi," he began and then sighed out loud. "Although he isn't a Legendary Sannin that you've been training so hard with...he is the student of the Fourth Hokage and he was a student of Jiriaya." Somehow that provided him with a sense of confidence, because to him it meant that he had some chance against Naruto if they ever battled again. _  
_

"Interesting," was all Naruto said as he got up from the seat that he had taken without permission and walked to the door and Sasuke, and reached behind him and whispered in his ear, "are you willing to test that theroy just yet?"

Sasuke's eyes went wide, at both the unexpectedness of Naruto's getting up and then whispering in his ear. The feel of the blond's warm breath on his ear, made him close his eyes for a moment and then back away, for he was starting to feel hot from the closeness. The saying that distance made ones heart grow fonder, he didn't want to believe, but with Naruto so close he could believe what was happening at the moment. Then his question hit him hard, "so you want to do this here or somewhere else, like the training ground?"

"Training grounds," Naruto said with a nod and then reached for the door and pushed it open and then shoved Sasuke out of the door and then pointed at the hole that Sasuke's punch had caused. "I really think the neighbors and landlord would have a problem if we had our little battle here."

* * *

_-sighs- well, well there is chapter 3 for ya guys. Please don't kill me for the cliffy at the end I couldn't help it! _

_I swears, I really couldn't...my mind just said, leave em wanting more!! I'm evil aren't I, and this chapter took a while because the poem for it just wouldn't come to me just yet..doesn't that suck??_


	4. Trust

_**Trust**_

_In this very moment, _

_I don't know _

_what I should trust. _

_I am caught between, _

_what I was taught _

_and what my mind _

_is telling me at this _

_very moment in time. _

_I look into you eyes _

_and I am instantly _

_captivated by them. _

_Should I trust this, _

_Or should I run. _

_In this very moment _

_I don't know _

_what I should trust. _

* * *

"Do you think I really care what the answer is or not," Sakura bit back at the mysterious man before her, her voice was tinged with both fear and strength at the same time. _Yea Sakura you show that freak who's boss and who he shouldn't be following, _Inner Sakura cheered on. Her brows furrowed nearly glaring at the man, clutching at her Kunai tighter than before. "Just answer the damn question, who the hell are you and why are you following me."

Itachi let out a low chuckle at the display, the pink haired girl that was named, Sakura was putting on. He closed his eyes slowly and opened them once more, as if to regain composure fighting in between showing his impressive Sharigan to the girl or to just lie and give an assumed idenity to her. He nodded to himself making the decision, as he fully opened his eyes to her, still showing the same onyx eyes that he possessed with his Sharigan deactivated. "I am just a friend of Naruto's," he said slowly and his voice wanting to fill the girl with a false confidence, "Naruto-san didn't mention me, I am guessing."

_Sakura, something is way off, I mean don't you feel the other chakra, _screamed inner Sakura loudly, causing the girl to nod physically. Her eyes squinted at the man and she let out a slow sigh, "no, he hasn't said anything about you at all...yet. Although if you would give me a name I could possibly ask him about you, and your friend."

His eyes widened at the end of her statement, and shook his head, sliently cursing Kisame, for sticking around for so long and not even attempting to mask his massive chakra. Although that was the least of his concerns at the moment, he needed to come up with an name and past that would be believable, and then a name came to him. "Tamanko Hiroshi," he said simply to the girl before him, recalling that was the name of a young man that Naruto had encountered on his journey. "As for the other person following you...I really don't know who or what that could be. I don't see why anyone would pursue a beauty like you, other than to ask for your hand of course."

His words caused Sakura to blush a bit, and then shake her head swiftly, "you still didn't answer my question why you are following me."

"Hn, It was because during the time I spent with Naruto-san, all he could talk about was a vision of beauty with pink hair named Sakura. I guess I just wanted to meet said beauty, without scaring her too much," Itachi said as he looked down at the grass below his feet, trying to find a way to play this role to a tee. "Although I appearently failed my own personal mission."

Suddenly came a rustle in the nearby bushes, as it caught both Itachi and Sakura's attention. He squinted his dark eyes and then took in mind that the one chakra that belong to Kisame was joined by 1, no 2, not 2 but 3 new and very familiar chakras. Biting his lip a bit, he made the quick decision to keep his presense in Konoha a secret still, he bent down and kissed the young Kunoichi on the cheek and sighed, "so sorry to make this little introduction short, but I don't need Naruto-san finding out that I followed him all the way to Konoha to meet the girl of his dreams and steal her from him." With that he jumped off to the tree that he had appeared from when Sakura had foolishly ran into another.

* * *

He had seen a flash of pink run by him, and sensed the chakra that was following her, it took into mind that it was very familiar. Putting down the book that he was going to buy, he quickly left the shop and followed after Sakura to the best of his ability. "There is no way that he could have returned here, not after what happened last time," he said as he continued after Sakura and the other two, knowing that it was Akatsuki memebers, Itachi and Kisame.

He didn't think too much about it at first, the only thing that he could really think about was protecting his young female student. Most senseis wouldn't care so much for their students, especially if the one student was of the opposite gender, but of course Kakashi wasn't most senseis and Sakura wasn't your average student. He ran through the village tracking all of the chakras carefully and took in mind that the moving chakra stopped at the training grounds. He began to creep slowly towards where the running stopped and managed to catch a glance at Sakura immediatly going into her fighting stance and then have a converstation with Itachi, who was now calling himself, "Hiroshi."

Suddenly two other chakras appeared and Kakashi's eyes widened recognizing one of them as the one student that left the village for training. Under his mask, a small smirk formed on his lips, as he knew full well what would happen if Naruto walked into this scene. The smirk disappeared as Itachi both placed his lips on Sakura's cheek and disappeared into the trees. He didn't know what he had felt during the kiss but it was the first time the feeling came to him. He felt a certain anger over what he had just witnessed, but there was no time as Naruto and Sasuke appeared before Sakura and the he felt his feet make him emerge from the bushes.

* * *

Kisame stood by the branch that he was shaking violently to get Itachi's attention as a symbol to get the hell out of there. When the young Uchiha appeared before him, he let out a low growl and punched him quickly in the face, "what the hell are you thinking, Tamanko Hiroshi?!?!" He witnessed the entire exchange between him and the girl and wasn't pleased with the fact that the Haruno girl was still walking, talking, fighting, breathing. If it were Kisame down there the girl would have either been killed to send a message or kidnapped with the ransom being the Kyuubi container himself, Uzumaki Naruto.

"I was thinking, that we could get this girl to trust me enough," Itachi began slowly, not pleased with the fact that Kisame laid a hand on him, or even with that he was in position to explain half of his actions. "Trust us enough to reveal some secrets to the Kyuubi container, so we can capture him with ease."

"Hmph," Kisame said in response, only half of him would accept this as the truth, while the other part of him looked down below at the ninja squad below them. Seeing the concern on each of the young men's face for the young girl, and the one that stood out the most was the other Uchiha male. There was something more there, and that was anger.

* * *

As he and Naruto approached the Training Grounds, Sasuke sensed a very familiar chakra, one that was just like his only stronger. He gritted his teeth as he recognized it as his own brothers, and with that he picked up his own pace. He had left his apartment with Naruto with the intention of fighting the blonde but as he neared their desired destination it was no longer Naruto he wanted to face. Then as he got even closer he to notice to the other chakra, that of a very familiar female ninja, one of the best medic-nins in Konoha, his very own teammate. His eyes widened and he then picked up his pace once more, _Sakura, she's in danger._

Through the trees he saw as Itachi disappeared into the trees after placing his vile lips on Sakura's face, he took in mind how she brought her hand to her face and rubbed her cheek slowly. He then jumped from the tree nearest his teammate and appeared next to her and grabbed her hand from her face, "you really shouldn't trust him at all." His eyes had grown darker than before anger and betrayal reflected in them at Sakura.

"W-What are you talking about Sasuke-san," she said in response nervously as her other teammate and sensei appeared from the woods surrounding them. She couldn't help but take in mind the same stern looks on their faces and she shook her head, and pointed off to the trees, "oh him, he isn't any real danger. Actually he is quite the gentleman."

"Sakura," Kakashi said slowly wanting to be the one to reason with the girl. "You really don't know too much about that man, just because he is a gentleman is no reason to go jumping into anything." Appearently Itachi made up some lie about himself that she was believing and Kakashi took that in mind. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Sasuke was going to say something in return but he brought a hand in front of the young mans face and shook his head. "Just let her believe what she wants to believe," he said simply.

Sasuke looked up to question Kakashi, but he then nodded in response as he saw Naruto come on to the grounds and he shook his head. He couldn't help but wonder if it was Naruto that caused Itachi wanting to get close to Sakura, and then he looked up into the trees sensing that his brother was still there. "Well it is a good thing that Naruto missed this, or else we'd all be screwed," he said outloud and almost directed towards his brother. With that he turned around and left the grouds, patting Naruto on the shoulder, "so sorry, maybe we should try this battle some other time."


End file.
